Developing oil bearing communities

The Niger Delta Development Commission, an agency raised to hasten development in the region, has vowed to complete ongoing projects, writes Augustine Avwode

What is the fate of the numerous uncompleted projects dotting the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta region? Will they be completed and commissioned or abandoned? These are the questions agitating the many stakeholders in the region.

But the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a federal government interventionist agency established to fast track the development of the region, has reiterated its commitment to the completion of existing projects across the nine states covered by the commission. The Commission’s Head of the Corporate Affairs, Mr. Ibitoye Abosede said the agency will not abandon any existing project.

Reacting to concern being expressed in some quarters about the fate of such projects, he said “The Board is aware of their concern and appreciates it. The MD/CEO, Dr. Chris Oboh, has said at various fora that no existing project would be abandoned. He means just that and that is what the commission is focusing on”, he stated.

There are many uncompleted projects initiated by previous boards of the commission since it was set up by the government in 2000 to drive development in the oil-rich region, which has suffered serious neglect and degradation over a long period of time.

At one of his major media briefings in April, the MD/CEO acknowledged the challenges posed by such uncompleted projects and declared his determination to deal with the issue.

“One of the challenges we met when we came on board was the multiplicity of uncompleted and ongoing projects across the region. We are aware of stakeholders’ concerns and are committed to ensuring the completion of as many of such projects as possible within the limit of available time and resources.”

The commission has since swung into action by undertaking a comprehensive and extensive audit of all on-going projects across the region, an exercise Oboh described as a “demonstration of the commitment of the board to the completion of projects awarded since the inception of the NDDC in December 2000”.

The board constituted itself into three monitoring committees made up of three members each to go round three states and see things for themselves; One for Delta, Edo and Ondo states; another for Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states and the last one for Cross River, Imo and Abia states.

Assessment tour:

The monitoring committees have since inspected projects in all the states spread across the region. These projects include roads, bridges, land reclamation and shore protection, flood control and canalisation as well as university hostels. The task before the monitoring groups was to assess what was on ground and recommend measures that would facilitate the completion of the projects placed on fast-track by the commission.

The first monitoring committee to Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom was led by Mr. Edi Orubo, the Bayelsa State representative. The others were Prof. Ibitamuno Aminigo, representing Rivers State and Imaobong Inyang, representing Akwa Ibom State.

The team visited the 29-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe road, a project the commission is building in partnership with the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The road project, which has 10 bridges and 99 culverts, has been described as one of the most challenging projects of the commission obviously because of the difficult terrain. The project was allegedly mooted some 35 years ago but has been left untouched by successive administrations until SPDC and NDDC decided to handle it.

In Rivers State the team inspected the hostel projects at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. They also inspected the Buguma-Edo-Abalama-Abonema road as well as the Buguma shore-protection and reclamation of about 150 hectares of land in Ogu-Bolo, all in Rivers State. But while they expressed satisfaction with the land reclamation project in their report, the team has harsh words for the contractor at Buguma.

And in Akwa Ibom, the team inspected the hostel at the University of Uyo permanent site and the one at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital , including road and bridge projects in the state. The roads projects visited include the 30 kilometre Nsasak Junction-Okon Essien Udim road; the 33.5 kilometre Ikot-Akpan-Udoh road; Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-Iwuo Achang road with a bridge in Ibeno and the Uquo-Odoro Nkit-Ntak-Inyang road.

The second team which took off from Abia State was led by the state’s representative Mr. Alloysius Nwagboso. Others are Peter Ezeobi representing Imo State and Dominic Edem, representing Cross River State .

The team inspected the 25-kilometre Uzoukwu-Owaza Iguruta Road and bridge project. It was also at the site of the 132 KVA transmission line and sub-station at Ukwa-West Local Government Area of Abia State. The team also inspected projects in Nsidung and Idebe communities in new Bakassi/Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State communities in new Bakassi/Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State.

The last leg of the inspection took members to Delta, Edo and Ondo States. It was led by Chief Solomon Ogba, the Delta State representative on the board. Other members of the team are Mr. Henry Okhuarobo, representing Edo State and Mr. Omogbemi Oladele, representing Ondo

Notwithstanding the assurances, however, a group of contractors under the aegis of Niger Delta Contractors Coalition (NDCC) has alleged that the board stampeded on-going projects and “removed them from the budget to give the new board room to award fresh and dubious contracts”.

But a source within the commission described the advertorial as the handiwork of disgruntled contractors. The source claimed that for a board that has barely 12 months left, as it was meant to complete the tenure of the previous board, it should at least award new contracts while it ensures that old projects are not only completed but to specification.

Whatever the case is, it will be in the best interest of the region which has suffered untold neglect over several decades to be treated with a sense of rapid development by ensuring the completion of old projects and even the execution of new ones.

The contractor (SAYANG) company that is handling Nsasak junction Okon essien udim-Ika road has not been doing anything rather than distroying the existing road, which made it not to be motorable, the way and manner they are buldozing the road shows that, they have not been doing road constructions before and they are not going to handle this project and complete it successfully.
I suggest that, the NDDC management should re-assess the contract and award it to capable company that would handle the project successfully.